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Why is newborn baby skin-to-skin contact with dads and non-birthing parents important? Here’s what the science says

Soon after a baby is born, it’s getting more common these days for the father or non-birthing parent to be encouraged to put the newborn directly on their chest. This skin-to-skin contact is often termed “kangaroo care”, as it mimics the way kangaroos provide warmth and security to babies. Mothers have been encouraged to give kangaroo care for decades now and many do so instinctively after giving birth; it has been <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27552521/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shown</a> to help mum and baby <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882596316000531?casa_token=QBk4MOx7VIMAAAAA:3DIH_RF_PdsZDqHkKSYgbM37Tgsau5GpTBPqUowy4kDN3tOwtnnPvpXCGkpBI8lJEQIqSorp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connect</a> and with <a href="https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrnn/27/3/151.abstract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breastfeeding</a>. So what does the evidence say about kangaroo care for other parents? A growing body of research A growing body of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361591701_Fathers_providing_kangaroo_care_in_neonatal_intensive_care_units_a_scoping_review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> shows kangaroo care brings benefits for both baby and parent. One <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.14184" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> that measured cortisol (a stress hormone) levels and blood pressure in new fathers found: <blockquote> Fathers who held their baby in skin-to-skin contact for the first time showed a significant reduction in physiological stress responses. </blockquote> Another <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2017/8612024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> in Taiwan involving fathers and neonates (newborn babies) found benefits to bonding and attachment: <blockquote> These study results confirm the positive effects of skin-to-skin contact interventions on the infant care behaviour of fathers in terms of exploring, talking, touching, and caring and on the enhancing of the father-neonate attachment. </blockquote> A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361591701_Fathers_providing_kangaroo_care_in_neonatal_intensive_care_units_a_scoping_review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paper</a> I co-authored with the University of South Australia’s Qiuxia Dong found: <blockquote> Studies reported several positive kangaroo care benefits for fathers such as reduced stress, promotion of paternal role and enhanced father–infant bond. </blockquote> Qiuxia Dong also led a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.16405" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> (on which I was a co-author) exploring the experiences of fathers who had a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. This study found kangaroo care helps fathers connect and bond with their baby in an intensive care environment. This had a positive impact on fathers’ confidence and self-esteem. As one father told us: <blockquote> I think after all the stress, when I have skin-to-skin I can actually calm down a little bit. I sit down and relax, I can cuddle my child and it’s just a little bit of a happy place for me as well as him to calm down, not to do any work all the time, not to be stressed out. There’s other things on my mind all the time but it’s time to relax and turn off a little bit. </blockquote> Another told us: <blockquote> She nuzzled around a bit, kind of got my smell I guess and then literally fell asleep. It was great. It was very comforting for both I guess for her and myself. </blockquote> As one father put it: <blockquote> Of course, they can hear your heartbeat and all that kind of stuff, of course warmth […] it’s being close with your baby, I think that would be the best way of building a relationship early. </blockquote> However, this study also reported that some dads found giving kangaroo care challenging as it can be time-consuming. It is not always easy to juggle with commitments such as caring for other children and work. Involving both parents One study noted <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21820778/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dads</a> can sometimes feel like a bystander on the periphery when a newborn arrives. Encouraging and educating all non-birthing parents, including fathers, to give kangaroo care is a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21820778/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valuable way</a> to get them involved. And if a caesarean birth makes it difficult for the mother to give kangaroo care while still in theatre, the father or non-birthing parent is the next best person to do it while the mother or birthing parent is not able. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>A caesarean birth sometimes makes it difficult for the mother to give kangaroo care while still in the theatre. Isaac Hermar/Pexels, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></figcaption></figure> More research needed There is a need for broader research on these issues, especially around the experiences of fathers from culturally diverse backgrounds and other non-birthing parents. But the research literature on kangaroo care shows there is good reason for dads and non-birthing parents to do some kangaroo care when a baby is born. As we concluded in our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.16405">study</a>, in the challenging neonatal intensive care unit environment, kangaroo care can serve: <blockquote> as a silent language of love.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188927/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> </blockquote> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-steen-970055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mary Steen</a>, Adjunct professor of Maternal and Family Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of South Australia</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-newborn-baby-skin-to-skin-contact-with-dads-and-non-birthing-parents-important-heres-what-the-science-says-188927" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Family & Pets

"I had visual contact with Lyn Dawson" court hears

Chris Dawson’s judge-only murder trial has aired a recording of the accused's brother-in-law, who claimed that he spotted Lynette Dawson several months after she disappeared back in 1982. A police interview that was conducted between Dawson’s brother-in-law Ross Hutcheon back in 2019 was played in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Mr Hutcheon claimed that he saw Lynette at a bus stop opposite Gladesville Hospital up to six months after she disappeared. "She looked just like the Lyn that I knew — same colour hair, same hairstyle, same glasses. No obvious attempt to disguise herself," he said in the recording. "The other thing that convinced me … was the fact that it was opposite the hospital and she was a nurse." Mr Hutcheon, who died six weeks ago and was married to Dawson’s sister also called Lynette, had claimed to have told her about seeing the missing mother that day. However, it was reported that Mr Hutcheon had instead reported the incident to police years later in 1999 stating he had "no contact with Lynette Dawson since her disappearance". "I had visual contact with Lyn Dawson, not verbal contact," Mr Hutcheon responded. Ms Hutcheon appeared in court on Tuesday and was questioned why she hadn’t discussed the possible sighting of her sister-in-law. She told the court that other people she knew had reported sightings of Lynette Dawson months after she disappeared and it didn’t cross her mind. "My husband had seen her and I had heard that other people had seen her. I thought she had been seen by people that knew her," she said. Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Lynette, who went missing from the family home in Sydney's Northern Beaches in January 1982. The trial continues. Images: Nine News

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Fragments of a dying comet might put on a spectacular show next week – or pass by without a trace

As Earth orbits the Sun, it ploughs through dust and debris left behind by comets and asteroids. That debris <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gives birth to meteor showers</a> – which can be one of nature’s most amazing spectacles. Most meteor showers are predictable, recurring annually when the Earth traverses a particular trail of debris. Occasionally, however, Earth runs through a particularly narrow, dense clump of debris. This results in a meteor storm, sending <a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/09/how-newspapers-helped-crowdsource-a-scientific-discovery-the-1833-leonid-meteor-storm/#:%7E:text=The%20Leonid%20meteor%20storm%20was,know%20more%20about%20this%20phenomenon." target="_blank" rel="noopener">thousands of shooting stars streaking across the sky each hour</a>. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Artist's impression of the great Leonid meteor storm of 1833" /></a><figcaption>Artist’s impression of the 1833 Leonid meteor storm. Adolf Vollmy (April 1888)</figcaption></figure> A minor shower called the Tau Herculids could create a meteor storm for observers in the Americas next week. But while some websites promise “the most powerful meteor storm in generations”, astronomers are a little more cautious. Introducing comet SW3 The story begins with a comet called <a href="https://cometography.com/pcomets/073p.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3</a> (comet SW3 for short). First spotted in 1930, it is responsible for a weak meteor shower called the Tau Herculids, which nowadays appears to radiate from a point about ten degrees from the bright star Arcturus. In 1995, comet SW3 <a href="https://cometography.com/pcomets/073p.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suddenly and unexpectedly brightened</a>. A number of outbursts were observed over a few months. The comet had <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996A%26A...310L..17C/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catastrophically fragmented</a>, releasing huge amounts of dust, gas, and debris. By 2006 (two orbits later), comet SW3 had disintegrated further, into <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/Comet_73P.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several bright fragments accompanied by many smaller chunks</a>. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=723&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=723&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=723&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Animated images of comet 73P as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope" /></a><figcaption>Fragments of comet 73P seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006. NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (APL/JHU), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay (STScI)</figcaption></figure> Is Earth on a collision course? This year, Earth will cross comet SW3’s orbit at the end of May. Detailed computer modelling suggests debris has been spreading out along the comet’s orbit like enormous thin tentacles in space. Has the debris spread far enough to encounter Earth? It depends on how much debris was ejected in 1995 and how rapidly that debris was flung outwards as the comet fell apart. But the pieces of dust and debris are so small we can’t see them until we run into them. So how can we get an insight into what might happen next week? Could history repeat itself? Our current understanding of meteor showers began 150 years ago with an event quite similar to SW3’s story. A comet called <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/061078c0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comet 3D/Biela</a> was discovered in 1772. It was a short-period comet, like SW3, returning every 6.6 years. In 1846, the comet began to behave strangely. Observers saw its head had split in two, and some described an “archway of cometary matter” between the pieces. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Sketch of a comet split into two pieces, each with its own tail." /></a><figcaption>Sketch of comet 3D/Biela in February 1846, after it split into (at least) two pieces. Edmund Weiß</figcaption></figure> At the comet’s next return, in 1852, the two fragments had clearly separated and both were fluctuating unpredictably in brightness. The comet was never seen again. But in late November of 1872, an unexpected meteor storm graced northern skies, stunning observers with rates of more than 3,000 meteors per hour. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A paiting showing meteors raining down over mountains" /></a><figcaption>The meteor storm of 1872. Amedee Guillemin</figcaption></figure> The meteor storm occurred when the Earth crossed 3D/Biela’s orbit: it was where the comet itself should have been two months earlier. A second storm, weaker than the first, occurred in 1885, when the Earth once more encountered the comet’s remains. 3D/Biela had disintegrated into rubble, but the two great meteor storms it produced served as a fitting wake. A dying comet, falling apart before our eyes, and an associated meteor shower, usually barely imperceptible against the background noise. Are we about to see history repeat itself with comet SW3? What does this suggest for the Tau Herculids? The main difference between the events of 1872 and this year’s Tau Herculids comes down to the timing of Earth’s crossing of the cometary orbits. In 1872, Earth crossed Biela’s orbit several months after the comet was due, running through material lagging behind where the comet would have been. By contrast, the encounter between Earth and SW3’s debris stream next week happens several months before the comet is due to reach the crossing point. So the debris needs to have spread ahead of the comet for a meteor storm to occur. Could the debris have spread far enough to encounter Earth? Some models suggest we’ll see a strong display from the shower, others suggest the debris will fall just short. Don’t count your meteors before they’ve flashed! Whatever happens, observations of next week’s shower will greatly improve our understanding of how comet fragmentation events happen. Calculations show Earth will <a href="https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cross SW3’s orbit at about 3pm, May 31 (AEST)</a>. If the debris reaches far enough forward for Earth to encounter it, then an outburst from the Tau Herculids is likely, but it will only last an hour or two. From Australia, the show (if there is one) will be over before it’s dark enough to see what’s happening. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="View of the night sky showing the Tau Herculids radiant" /></a><figcaption>For observers across Australia, the Tau Herculids radiant is low in the northern sky around 7pm local time. Museums Victoria/stellarium</figcaption></figure> Observers in north and south America will, however, have a ringside seat. They are more likely to see a moderate display of slow-moving meteors than a huge storm. This would be a great result, but might be a little disappointing. However, there is a chance the shower could put on a truly spectacular display. Astronomers are travelling across the world, just in case. What about Australian observers? There’s also a small chance any activity will last longer than expected, or even arrive a bit late. Even if you’re in Australia, it’s worth looking up on the evening of May 31, just in case you can get a glimpse of a fragment from a dying comet! The 1995 debris stream is just one of many laid down by the comet in past decades. During the early morning of May 31, around 4am (AEST), Earth will cross debris from the comet’s 1892 passage around the Sun. Later that evening, around 8pm, May 31 (AEST), Earth will cross debris laid down by the comet in 1897. However, debris from those visits will have spread out over time, and therefore we expect only a few meteors to grace our skies from those streams. But, as always, we might be wrong - the only way to know is to go out and see! <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182434/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="The night sky at midnight, showing the Tau Herculids radiant." /></a><figcaption>By midnight (local time), the Tau Herculids radiant will have moved to the north-western sky, seen from across Australia. Museums Victoria/Stellarium</figcaption></figure> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonti-horner-3355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonti Horner</a>, Professor (Astrophysics), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Southern Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tanya-hill-121214" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tanya Hill</a>, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/museums-victoria-1116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museums Victoria</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/fragments-of-a-dying-comet-might-put-on-a-spectacular-show-next-week-or-pass-by-without-a-trace-182434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Domestic Travel

An artists success depends on their contacts

As it turns out, the prestigious art world might not be entirely fair. At least, that’s what a group of researchers, led by Samuel Fraiberger of Northeastern University in Boston, US, find out by studying the network of prestigious – or less prestigious – exhibition spaces, such as galleries, museums, and auction houses. In a new study published in the journal Science, Fraiberger and colleagues find that early exposure in posh places pays off. “Early access to prestigious central institutions offered life-long access to high-prestige venues and reduced dropout rate,” they write. To conduct the analysis, art institutions were ranked by prestige, based on longevity, artists exhibited, art fair participation, and other qualities. Within these, the researchers identified a network of cross-exhibiting artists’ work. High-prestige institutions were strongly linked. For instance, New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Guggenheim were linked 33 times more strongly than expected if artists moved randomly between institutions. Fraiberger and colleagues find that artists who exhibit at high-prestige institutions for their first five exhibits were more likely to be at those institutions a decade later. They were also more likely to find long-term success in the art world, with 39% continuing to exhibit versus only 14% for artists whose first exhibitions had been at lower-prestige places. The researchers then looked retrospectively at the careers of 31,794 artists, born between 1950 and 1990, each of whom had at least 10 exhibitions. They find similar results. “As a group, high–initial reputation artists had continuous access to high-prestige institutions during their entire career,” they write. On the other hand, artists that did not have initial access to prestigious institutions advanced only slowly throughout their careers – assuming their careers continued. The researchers also find that country of origin is related to initial reception, while talent should not be. Fraiberger and his colleagues conclude that the prestige of an artist’s initial exhibition space has a lasting effect on his or her career – and that it may not be related to the “quality” of the art. Because the value of art is subjective, “reputation and networks of influence play a key role” in an artist’s success, the researchers argue. “Quality in art is elusive,” they write. “Art appeals to individual senses, pleasures, feelings, and emotions. Recognition depends on variables external to the work itself, like its attribution, the artist’s body of work, the display venue, and the work’s relationship to art history as a whole. “Recognition and value are shaped by a network of experts, curators, collectors, and art historians whose judgments act as gatekeepers for museums, galleries, and auction houses.” They suggest that the so-called gatekeepers of the art world should seek to make it more inclusive. “For example, the art world could benefit from the implementation of lottery systems that offer some underrepresented artists access to high-prestige venues, or blind selection procedures, successfully implemented in classical music, enhancing the inclusion of neglected works and artists,” they write. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/for-artists-success-really-does-depend-on-who-not-what-you-know/">Cosmos Magazine</a>.

Art

Queen's health fears after "close contact" meeting with Charles

As Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time, Buckingham Palace have expressed their concerns for the Queen. Charles' positive result was announced by Clarence House on Thursday evening, and confirmed the royal was isolating and had cancelled all upcoming events."HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today's events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible," Clarence House said. Clarence House went on to confirm that Prince Charles is triple vaccinated, but did not state the severity of his Covid symptoms. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating. HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today's events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible.— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClarenceHouse/status/1491743935647166468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote>As news of his diagnosis arose, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Charles had met with his mother Queen Elizabeth earlier this week. The palace said Her Majesty is currently "not displaying any symptoms" but would continue to be monitored.While it is unknown exactly when the royal met, Prince Charles performed a round of investitures at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, where the Queen had returned the day before from Sandringham. Prince Charles' Covid diagnosis comes just one day after he and Camilla attended a large gathering for the British Museum for the British Asian Trust, where they met with dozens of people including UK Treasury chief Rishi Sunak.The Duchess of Cornwall tested negative Thursday morning and went ahead with a number of planned engagements, including a visit to a London community food hub.This is the second time Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid, after he contracted the virus in March 2020 after having suffered "mild symptoms".Image credits: Getty Images

News

NZ reports first COVID-19 case in more than two months

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> New Zealand has reported its first locally acquired coronavirus case in months after a returned traveller tested positive to COVID-19 a week after leaving hotel quarantine. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said that a 56-year-old woman had been isolating after returning from a trip to Europe. She was tested twice which returned negative results after the initial 14 days in quarantine, but developed mild symptoms two days after leaving quarantine. She tested positive just ten days later. "We are working on the assumption this is a positive case and a more transmissible variant," Dr Bloomfield said. "We need people to be vigilant and get with the programme." NZ health authorities are now contact tracing visitors to almost 30 venues, with almost 13 guests who stayed at the hotel the same time as the woman had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the first community case of COVID-19 since November 18th last year. </div> </div> </div>

News

Race to trace new mystery Sydney cases

A NSW health official has made a shocking allegation about a Sydney couple who have tested positive for coronavirus, claiming they did not isolate while awaiting their results. Sydney was put on high alert on Wednesday after a 45-year-old man, who transports international airline staff from the airport, tested positive to coronavirus. Shortly after, a couple, aged in their 60s and 70s from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, also tested positive to the virus. The couple's diagnosis left health authorities scrambling, with warnings issued to those who visited a handful of venues to get tested and isolate. Speaking to The Australian, a health official, not permitted to speak publicly, alleged the couple did don’t isolate. “They took a long time to track down,” the official said. The three infections are NSW’s first cases of community transmission since December 3. People who have attended the following venues are considered close contacts and should get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days – even if they receive a negative result: The Palm Beach female change rooms on Sunday, December 13 between 9 and 9:15 am Coast Palm Beach Cafe on Sunday, December 13 between 10 and 11am Avalon Bowlo on Sunday, December 13 between 3 and 5 pm Sneaky Grind Cafe, Avalon Beach on Monday, December 14 between 10:30 am and 11am People who visited the following venues should tested and isolate until they receive a negative result: Woolworths Avalon Beach on Sunday, December 13 between 3 and 5 pm Oliver’s Pie, Careel Shopping Village, Avalon Beach on Monday, December 14 between 9 and 9:15am

News

Life on Venus? Traces of phosphine may be a sign of biological activity

The discovery that the atmosphere of Venus absorbs a precise frequency of microwave radiation has just <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1174-4">turned planetary science on its head</a>. An international team of scientists used radio telescopes in Hawaii and Chile to find signs that the clouds on Earth’s neighbouring planet contain tiny quantities of a molecule called phosphine. Phosphine is a compound made from phosphorus and hydrogen, and on Earth its only natural source is tiny microbes that live in oxygen-free environments. It’s too early to say whether phosphine is also a sign of life on Venus – but no other explanation so far proposed seems to fit. This video shows how methane was detected in the atmosphere of Mars. The process is the same for finding phosphine on Venus. What makes an atmosphere? The molecular makeup of a planet’s atmosphere normally depends on what its parent star is made of, the planet’s position in its star’s system, and the chemical and geological processes that take place given these conditions. There is phosphine in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, for example, but there it’s not a sign of life. Scientists think it is formed in the deep atmosphere at high pressures and temperatures, then dredged into the upper atmosphere by a strong convection current. Join 130,000 people who subscribe to free evidence-based news. Although phosphine quickly breaks down into phosphorus and hydrogen in the top clouds of these planets, enough lingers – 4.8 parts per million – to be observable. The phosphorus may be what gives clouds on Jupiter a reddish tinge. Things are different on a rocky planet like Venus. The new research has found fainter traces of phosphine in the atmosphere, at 20 parts per billion. Lightning, clouds, volcanoes and meteorite impacts might all produce some phosphine, but not enough to counter the rapid destruction of the compound in Venus’s highly oxidising atmosphere. The researchers considered all the chemical processes they could think of on Venus, but none could explain the concentration of phosphine. What’s left? On Earth, phosphine is only produced by microbial life (and by various industrial processes) – and the concentration in our atmosphere is in the parts per trillion range. The much higher concentration on Venus cannot be ignored. Signs of life? To determine whether the phosphine on Venus is really produced by life, chemists and geologists will be trying to identify other reactions and processes that could be alternative explanations. Meanwhile, biologists will be trying to better understand the microbes that live in Venus-like conditions on Earth – high temperatures, high acidity, and high levels of carbon dioxide – and also ones that produce phosphine. When Earth microbes produce phosphine, they do it via an “anaerobic” process, which means it happens where no oxygen is present. It has been observed in places such as activated sludge and sewage treatment plants, but the exact collection of microbes and processes is not well understood. Biologists will also be trying to work out whether the microbes on Earth that produce phosphine could conceivably do it under the harsh Venusian conditions. If there is some biological process producing phosphine on Venus, it may be a form of “life” very different from what we know on Earth. Searches for life beyond Earth have often skipped over Venus, because its surface temperature is around 500℃ and the atmospheric pressure is almost 100 times greater than on Earth. Conditions are <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2017.1783">more hospitable for life</a> as we know it about 50 kilometres off the ground, although there are still vast clouds of sulfuric acid to deal with. Molecular barcodes The researchers found the phosphine using spectroscopy, which is the study of how light interacts with molecules. When sunlight passes through Venus’s atmosphere, each molecule absorbs very specific colours of this light. Using telescopes on Earth, we can take this light and split it into a massive rainbow. Each type of molecule present in Venus’ atmosphere produces a distinctive pattern of dark absorption lines in this rainbow, like an identifying barcode. This barcode is not always strongest in visible light. Sometimes it can only be detected in the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that are invisible to the human eye, such as UV rays, microwave, radio waves and infrared. The barcode of carbon dioxide, for example, is most evident in the infrared region of the spectrum. While phosphine on Jupiter was first detected in infrared, for Venus observations astronomers used radio telescopes: the <a href="https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/home/">Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array</a> (ALMA) and <a href="https://www.eaobservatory.org/jcmt/about-jcmt/">James Clerk Maxwell Telescope</a> (JCMT), which can detect the barcode of phosphine in millimetre wavelengths. New barcodes, new discoveries The discovery of phosphine on Venus relied not only on new observations, but also a more detailed knowledge of the compound’s barcode. Accurately predicting the barcode of phosphine across all relevant frequencies took <a href="http://www.tampa.phys.ucl.ac.uk/ftp/eThesis/ClaraSousaSilva2015.pdf">the whole PhD</a> of astrochemist Clara Sousa-Silva in the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/exoplanets/research/spectroscopy-exoplanets">ExoMol group</a> at University College London in 2015. She used computational quantum chemistry – basically putting her molecule into a computer and solving the equations that describe its behaviour – to predict the strength of the barcode at different colours. She then tuned her model using available experimental data before making the <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1410.2917">16.8 billion lines of phosphine’s barcode</a> available to astronomers. Sousa-Silva originally thought her data would be used to study Jupiter and Saturn, as well as weird stars and distant “hot Jupiter” exoplanets. More recently, she led the detailed consideration of <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.05224">phosphine as a biosignature</a> – a molecule whose presence implies life. This analysis demonstrated that, on small rocky exoplanets, phosphine should not be present in observable concentrations unless there was life there as well. But she no doubt wouldn’t have dreamed of a phone call from an astronomer who has discovered phosphine on our nearest planetary neighbour. With phosphine on Venus, we won’t be limited to speculating and looking for molecular barcodes. We will be able to send probes there and hunt for the microbes directly. Written by Laura McKemmish, UNSW; Brendan Paul Burns, UNSW, and Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer, Swinburne University of Technology. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/life-on-venus-traces-of-phosphine-may-be-a-sign-of-biological-activity-146093">The Conversation.</a>

Art

How to keep your contact lenses clean (and what can go wrong if you don’t)

You’re rushing and accidentally drop a contact lens on the bathroom floor. Should you: a) run it under the tap and pop it in? b) spit on it and do the same? c) use the cleaning solution your optometrist insists you use? d) replace it with a new lens? e) do any of the above. It doesn’t really matter. Don’t do what champion boxer and rugby league legend Anthony Mundine did in 2007 and go for (b) spit on your lens. He ended up in hospital with a severe eye infection. If you chose c), it’s true that rubbing your lens with the cleaning solution for 20 seconds will remove some microbes. But you would need to soak the lenses in the solution for a minimum four to six hours to disinfect the lens effectively. The best answer is d) replace with a new lens. Running the lens under the tap, option a), risks your lens and eye becoming infected with a microorganism found in tapwater that could lead you to losing your sight. Not all eye infections are harmless Aren’t all eye infections conjunctivitis? Like the kids get, bit of redness, icky discharge, drops from chemist, all good after a week? No. If your contact lens mixes with water, you could get a rare but severe infection called acanthamoeba keratitis. Of the 680,000 contact lens wearers in Australia, we estimate 10-20 a year are affected by the condition. Of these, we estimate about two to four people a year will need a transplant at the front of their eye to regain vision; about two to five people will need treatment for more than a year. The condition mostly affects people who wear soft contact lenses, the main type worn in Australia. We found about one-third of bathroom sinks in greater Sydney contain acanthamoeba. We assume it’s present in other parts of the country but no-one else has studied it so don’t know how common it is elsewhere in Australia. Acanthamoeba are free-living protozoa (single-celled microorganisms) that feed on bacteria and cells at the front of the eye, the cornea. This leads to inflammation, disorganisation and destruction of the cornea, blocking vision. The vast majority of acanthamoeba keratitis occurs in contact lens wearers. But you can minimise your chance of getting it. Avoid exposing your lenses to water, including running them under the tap, in the shower or while swimming. In fact, many new packs of contact lenses now carry “no water” warning stickers. Another of our studies shows this particular warning sticker can change behaviour. Contact lens wearers who see this sticker are more likely to avoid water. Their contact lens storage cases were also less likely to be contaminated with bacteria, meaning less chance of bacterial infection and less food for acanthamoeba. You can catch other eye infections too While acanthamoeba infections are rare, bacterial eye infections are much more common, estimated to affect around four per 10,000 contact lens wearers a year. About 13% of people whose eyes or contact lenses are infected with bacteria lose substantial vision. That’s equivalent to two lines or more on the vision chart optometrists use. Most people’s infections improve in two to four weeks by using antibiotic drops. However, bacterial infections can be severe and fast-acting. The main bacterium responsible for contact lens related infections is pseudomonas, another water-loving microorganism. It can sometimes burrow through the eye surface in hours. There is no evidence to suggest wearing contact lenses increases your risk of being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. So how do I avoid all this? These evidence-based tips for healthy contact lens wear will help you avoid infections: <ul> <li>wash and dry your hands before handling lenses or touching your eyes</li> <li>rub, rinse and store contact lenses in fresh disinfecting solution. Topping up old solution with new is an infection risk</li> <li>clean your storage case with the disinfecting solution and leave to air dry upside down between uses</li> <li>don’t use water with lenses or cases</li> <li>avoid wearing your lenses overnight.</li> </ul> How do I know if I have a problem? If your eyes sting, are red and watery, blurry or are otherwise uncomfortable while wearing your lenses, remove them. If your symptoms get worse, visit an optometrist. GPs do not usually have equipment with enough magnification to diagnose potentially serious eye infections. Pseudomonas is resistant to the strongest over-the-counter drops, chloramphenicol. But most optometrists can treat eye infections by prescribing eye drops and can refer you to an ophthalmologist (a specialist eye doctor) if needed. Written by Misha Ketchell. This article first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-keep-your-contact-lenses-clean-and-what-can-go-wrong-if-you-dont-141117">The Conversation</a>.

Body

More virus traces found on frozen shrimp and chicken wings

Chinese health authorities have found traces of coronavirus in imported chicken wings and food packaging, local officials revealed on Thursday. The Shenzhen Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters said the public needed to take precautions around frozen food after the discovery. The warning was issued after a sample taken from frozen chicken wings which were originally from Brazil, were found to be contaminated with coronavirus. In addition, samples taken from frozen shrimp from Ecuador sold in Xian also tested positive for the virus. Due to the findings, China has enforced screening at ports and contact tracing. Fear has been sparked as it is now believed the virus could survive on frozen food due to it being a cold temperature. “It is hard to say at which stage the frozen chicken got infected,” said a China-based official at a Brazilian meat exporter. The role of frozen food carrying the virus may have been the reasoning behind New Zealand’s mystery outbreak, many have speculated.

Food & Wine

Blackwater mystery: Tracing the cause of Australia's youngest COVID-19 death

A 30-year-old miner known as Nathan Turner is the youngest Australian to die from coronavirus. It was only discovered that he was suffering from the virus after he was discovered dead at his home. This is the first care recorded in Blackwater, 190km west of Rockhampton, and Queensland Health is trying to figure out how Turner was infected. Turner had not worked since November and hadn’t left Blackwater since February. An unidentified nurse from Rockhampton tested positive for the virus earlier this month after she broke government enforced lockdown to travel to the town. She reportedly told contact tracers that she had visited Blackwater to “see a sunset”, but Queensland health have suggested the two have not had contact. "The [nurse] travelled to Blackwater in the second week of May but did not interact with other individuals there," the spokesperson said. "Information provided to Queensland Health about the case identified today indicated the man had respiratory symptoms since the first week of May. "At this time, no evidence has been provided to Queensland Health that links the two cases, but we will continue to assess all information relevant to any case." State Health Minister Stephen Miles said Blackwater residents weren’t told of the nurse’s visit because it was deemed low risk. “To my knowledge, she drove there, watched the sunset, and drove back – didn’t leave her car," he told ABC radio on Thursday. He said authorities are now looking into whether there is a link between the cases. "It’s possible that there is some kind of connection there, or it could just be a coincidence," he said. "That’s what our investigators are working on. Those dates don’t really line up with when he got sick. It is a bit of a mystery and it could just be a coincidence.” However, Deputy CMO Paul Kelly said that it was worrying that someone from a remote area had fallen ill. “It shows that there is community transmission of some sort,” he told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “We haven’t had many people in rural areas in any state and so at this point in the pandemic it is a concern. “I understand that he had been sick for some weeks and I guess he hadn’t assumed that it was COVID-19. It is another very strong reminder to all of us at this point that if anyone has any symptoms that are of a respiratory virus. “It might feel like a cold, it could be COVID and we really want to get that test done.” Photo credits: <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-27/coronavirus-testing-queensland-death-dies/12287058" target="_blank">ABC</a>

News

Coronavirus contact-tracing apps: Why most of us won’t cooperate unless everyone does

As governments look to ease general social-distancing measures and instead use more targeted strategies to stop coronavirus transmission, we face a social dilemma about the limits of cooperative behaviour. Consider the controversy over contact-tracing phone apps, which can help authorities identify people with whom someone diagnosed with COVID-19 has recently come into close contact. <a href="https://045.medsci.ox.ac.uk/for-media">Oxford University research</a> suggests such apps could effectively stop the epidemic if 60% of the population use them, though even with lower uptake they still have some value. The Australian government’s goal is for <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/coronavirus-mobile-tracking-app-may-be-mandatory-if-not-enough-people-sign-up-scott-morrison-says">40% of the population</a> to use its app. It is hoping people will do this voluntarily. That’s double the uptake so far achieved in Singapore, which launched its <a href="https://www.tracetogether.gov.sg/">TraceTogether</a> app <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/about-one-million-people-have-downloaded-the-tracetogether-app-but-more-need-to-do-so-for">on March 20</a>. This despite a six-nation survey (including Australia) suggesting Singaporeans are the most relaxed about the <a href="https://www.consultancy.asia/news/3126/singaporean-attitudes-to-personal-covid-data-differ-to-overseas-counterparts">personal privacy concerns</a>. My research into cooperative behaviour suggests there’s no reason to believe voluntary uptake will be higher anywhere else. What is a social dilemma? Economists define a <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ps.31.020180.001125">social dilemma</a> as a situation where individual interests conflict with collective interests. More specifically, it is a situation in which there is a collective benefit from widespread cooperation but individuals have an incentive to “free ride” on the cooperation of others. For example, we would have collectively benefited if everyone had shown self-restraint in buying toilet paper and other items in the early weeks of the crisis. But selfish behaviour by some created a crisis for everybody else. Economists, political scientists and evolutionary biologists have used social dilemma paradigms for more than half a century to study the evolution of cooperation in societies. One of the most influential contributions to the field was a 1981 paper, <a href="https://ee.stanford.edu/%7Ehellman/Breakthrough/book/pdfs/axelrod.pdf">The Evolution of Cooperation</a>, by political scientist Robert Axelrod and evolutionary biologist William Hamilton. The paper’s key point is this: cooperation depends not on altruism but reciprocity. Most cooperation is conditional My <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165176518302453">research</a> (with behavioural economist Christian Thöni of the University of Lausanne) confirms this. Based on reviewing 17 social dilemma studies involving more than 7,000 individuals, we estimate no more than 3% of the population can be relied on to act cooperatively out of altruism – independent of what others do. About 20% can be expected to act selfishly (i.e. free ride). The majority – about 60% – are “conditional cooperators”. They cooperate if they believe others will cooperate. Another 10% are so-called “triangle cooperators”. They behave similarly to conditional cooperators, but only to the point where they believe enough people are cooperating. They then reduce their cooperation. The remainder – about 7% – behave unpredictably. <hr /> <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/329637/original/file-20200422-82672-vo1c6z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> This infographic illustrates the four cooperation types and levels of cooperation over time. Altruistiic cooperation does not depend on others. Conditional cooperation depends on others cooperating. Triangle cooperation is similar to conditional cooperation to a point, then falls away. Free-riding behaviour is always uncooperative and can only be modified by the fear of punishment. Stefan Volk, Author provided <hr /> The need for punishment The most important group to consider in social dilemma situations is, of course, the majority. Conditional cooperators are very sensitive to what they believe others will do. They will only pay taxes, save water, donate to charities or protect the environment if they believe most others are doing the same. To maintain their cooperation, therefore, it is essential to uphold their beliefs in equality and egalitarianism, where everyone does their part, nobody gets preferential treatment, and nobody gets away with free riding. Research by Swiss economists Ernst Fehr and Urs Fischbacher has found just a small minority of free riders is sufficient to cause a <a href="http://eebweb.arizona.edu/Faculty/Dornhaus/courses/materials/papers/Fehr%20Fischbacher%20human%20altruism.pdf">breakdown of cooperation</a> over time. Conditional cooperators will reduce their own cooperation as soon as they realise one or a few others are not complying with the collectively agreed rules. This in turn causes others to reduce their cooperation. It creates a downward spiral. What stops this happening more is that many conditional cooperators will punish free riders, even at their own expense. Fehr and Fischbacher <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513804000054">demonstrated this</a> through experiments involving “ultimatum games”. They observed games in which one person got to propose how to split a pot of money between two players. If the other player rejected the split, neither got money. In another scenario, the allocator was free to make the split however they liked. But a third party unaffected by the split could spend money from their own allocated pot to deny the allocator income. In 55% of cases, third parties were prepared to spend money to punish allocators who didn’t split the money fairly. Fehr and Fischbacher called this “altruistic punishment”. Their results also showed anticipation of punishment deterred non-cooperative behaviour by free riders and reassured conditional cooperators’ beliefs in maintaining their commitment to collective cooperation. Two-factor validation The evidence from behavioural economics research indicates two mechanisms are essential to ensure cooperative behaviour on COVID-19 measures. First, the majority of us must be reassured others are doing the right thing. This involves showcasing exemplary acts of cooperation and granting no preferential treatment to any kind of interest group. Second, we must be assured others aren’t getting away with uncooperative behaviour. In other words, free riding must be swiftly and visible punished. Without these conditions, an expectation of widespread cooperative behaviour is merely a hope.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135959/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stefan-volk-883484">Stefan Volk</a>, Associate Professor and Co-Director Body, Heart and Mind in Business Research Group, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-contact-tracing-apps-most-of-us-wont-cooperate-unless-everyone-does-135959">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

Helena Bonham Carter uses psychic to contact Princess Margaret for acting tips from beyond the grave

Actress Helena Bonham Carter has revealed that she’s reached out to Princess Margaret via a psychic to ask for her permission to play her in Netflix’s show The Crown. Princess Margaret passed away at the age of 71 back in 2002, so Bonham Carter thought that it would only be right to reach out and get permission before she went forth playing the lady herself. “She said, apparently, she was glad it was me,” Bonham Carter, 53, revealed at <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/helena-bonham-carter-tells-cheltenham-3398590" target="_blank">a sold-out session at the Cheltenham Literary Festival</a> on October 5. “When you play someone real, you really want their blessing because you do have a responsibility. “I asked her, ‘Are you OK with me playing you?’ And she said, ‘You’re better than the other actress that they were thinking of.’ “That made me think maybe she is here because it’s a really classic Margaret thing to say – she is really good at complimenting you and putting you down at the same time.” Reaching out to someone from beyond the grave is nothing new for Bonham Carter as she always talks to a psychic when playing a real person who has passed away. The Queen’s younger sister also included some rules for Bonham Carter to follow. She said, “You’re going to have to brush up and be more groomed and neater.” Bonham Carter has been excited to play the role for a while, as Princess Margaret is known in a “one dimensional” way by the public. “Everyone has such a particular idea of Margaret. It’s very daunting and I don’t really look like her,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/politics/helena-bonham-carter-known-vulnerable-tricky-combination/" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a> in December 2018. “But like the Queen, no one really knows what they’re like privately, so you can make your own choices.” She also confirmed that she researched for the role by talking to people who knew her closely, including relatives and three former ladies-in-waiting. “They really loved her, and when you go to the inner circle of people … they were very happy to talk about her because they miss her,” she said. “I felt very lucky to suddenly be the receptacle of all these stories. I think, for a lot of the friends, they are so tired with her being portrayed in a one-dimensional, very bitchy understanding of her.”

When eye contact indicates something much darker

We usually interpret someone looking us straight in the eye during an interaction as a sign of trustworthiness. In fact it can be rather unsettling when someone avoids eye contact. This is at least the case in the Western world, where we use eye contact as a marker of honesty and straightforwardness – taking it as a positive attribute, particularly in those we do business with. But research is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10417940601000576">increasingly challenging</a> this standard view. Our study, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejsp.2336">published in the European Journal of Social Psychology</a>, shows quite the opposite: in a competitive environment where a negotiation is taking place, looking at another person directly in the eye can be a sign of competition and malevolence, rather than benevolence. Across three experiments, we found that looking someone directly in the eye predicted competitive behaviour – and even deceit. In the first experiment, we used an eye tracker to follow 75 people’s retinas while they had to split money with another person. We found that looking at their opponent directly in the eye predicted making a lower first offer toward that person. In another experiment, we assigned 53 people to look at either their opponent’s eyes or other parts of their face. People assigned to the former condition made lower first offers to their opponents in a simulated job contract negotiation than those assigned to the latter. Split or steal Perhaps most interestingly, we also combed through the data of 99 episodes of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1186336/">Golden Balls</a>, a UK game show that ran from 2007-9. The show is structured to allow two players to make it to a final round – accumulating a jackpot along the way. In this final round, the players must decide what to do with this valuable pot of money. In front of each player are two balls, one marked “steal” and the other marked “split”. The two players engage in a dialogue about which ball they will choose. If both players choose to “split”, they get to split the jackpot. And if both players choose “steal”, neither gets anything. But if Player A chooses “split” and Player B chooses “steal”, Player A gets nothing and Player B gets the entire jackpot (or vice versa). That means each player’s goal is to convince the other to choose the “split” ball, with almost all players signalling to their opponent that this is the choice they will make. We watched and coded all the videotapes for the amount of direct eye contact that each player gave to another during this final conversation and then examined if this number could predict players’ ball choice. In fact it did – but in the opposite direction than most would think. Greater eye contact was linked to a player being more likely to choose the steal rather than the split ball – even when they explicitly stated otherwise. The direct eye contact with the other player was measured in terms of the number of times during the interaction that a contestant had direct gaze with the other player. Real life implications While folk wisdom tells us eye contact is a sign of honesty and trustworthiness, these findings were not a surprise to my research team and me. Animals have direct eye contact not before engaging in benevolent behaviours, but rather immediately before an attack – eye contact is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763400000257">sign of challenge and threat</a> from another. We humans seem to be carrying on this tradition by (subconsciously) looking our opponent directly in the eye before we “attack”. What does this mean for the work place? In a competitive business environment, when taking part in negotiations or a business deal for example, be aware that people who look you directly in the eye may not be as friendly as you think. And if you want to come across as honest and trustworthy – especially in more international settings – direct eye contact may indicate the opposite. In many Asian cultures, for example, looking a person of higher status in the eye <a href="http://www.asiamarketingmanagement.com/howtobehaveinchina.html">is a sign of disrespect</a>, while looking away signals deference. All our experiments took place in a competitive environment – negotiations or a high-stakes game show – and must be understood within this context. This means they most likely don’t apply to social environments, such as spending time with friends, family or loved ones. In these cases, direct eye contact, often referred to as a “gaze”, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201404/5-secret-powers-eye-contact">can still be a sign of intimacy</a> and benevolence.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113787/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Jennifer Jordan, Professor of Leadership & Organizational Behavior, IMD Business School. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/think-direct-eye-contact-makes-someone-trustworthy-it-can-be-a-sign-of-something-much-darker-113787">The Conversation</a>.

Mind

Double standards and derision – tracing our attitudes to older women and beauty

Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, is a rare example of an older woman in the public eye who has attracted <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4483918/How-DOES-Macron-s-wife-defy-age.html">praise</a> for her appearance. At 64, Macron is 24 years older than her husband, but her healthy figure and youthful style of dress saw her <a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/brigitte-macron-style-analysis">described in Vogue</a> as “rock ‘n’ roll”. While Macron is admired for her penchant for leather pants, women regularly face policing of their clothing and cosmetic choices once they reach <a href="http://www.whowhatwear.com.au/turning-30-fashion">the age of 30</a>. Ageing only brings about further restrictions, with few older women who cultivate their appearance successfully negotiating the line between looking acceptably young or upsettingly unnatural. Madonna, who will turn 60 next year, is a case in point; her attempts to retain a sexy image are sometimes described with <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/whats-so-gross-about-madonna-getting-older-it-seems">revulsion</a>. Piers Morgan described her as <a href="https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/587554092467228672?lang=en">“50 Shades of Granny”</a> after her 2015 kiss with Drake. Her famous muscles, which keep her skin taut, were called “monstrously sculpted and bloodcurdling veiny corpse arms” <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2009/07/27/madonnas-gruesome-twosome/">by TMZ</a> as the publication had a dig at her “toyboy” Jesus Luz. In contrast, Cher, at 71, <a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/billboard-music-awards-2017-red-carpet-best-and-worst-dressed-stars/news-story/1407925bc4fdaa00ae700ccbb843dd86">recently wore</a> a replica of a near-nude costume from 1989 at the Billboard Music Awards and was generally praised as “amazing” and “owning it”. What is Cher doing to invite praise that Madonna isn’t? And where did restrictive ideas about beauty and ageing come from? When did we decide that there was a particular age at which women might incite criticism or disgust for attempting to look beautiful or desirable? A closer look at women’s magazines from the 19th century — the era in which modern advertising and celebrity culture were born — reveal the origins of many of our hang-ups about older women and beauty. In the first half of that century, beauty was understood as God-given or natural. Beliefs in physiognomy also suggested that the inner character of a woman might be visible in her face. In 1849, in an article that commented on the process of women’s ageing, the English magazine <a href="https://archive.org/details/worldoffashionco15lond">World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons</a> observed: Neither rouge, artificial ringlets, nor all the resources of the toilet, can retard the relentless progress of that terrible foe to beauty, Time. But every one must have noticed how lightly his hand rests upon some, how heavily upon others … A good conscience is the greatest preservative of beauty. High and noble thoughts leave behind them noble and beautiful traces, meanness of thought and selfishness of feeling league with Time to unite age and ugliness together. This dismissal of cosmetics is typical of attitudes that saw beauty as a quality that a woman was either born with or not and its loss inevitable. In the final decades of the 19th century, however, women’s magazines transformed this belief. With the growth of advertising and beauty advice columns, there was gradual acceptance that fading looks should be combated by almost any means necessary. For older women, being visibly made up gradually became more tolerable, though the degree to which the cosmetics might be detectable was a point of contention. Women who foolishly attempted to recreate the charms of their youth were still harshly judged. Cosmetics and ageing The 30s were understood as a threshold for women entering middle age and no longer being considered at the peak of attractiveness. An advertisement for Madame Dupree’s Berlin Toilet Soap from 1890 promises “a return to youthful beauty” and specifies that the soap can “make […] a lady of 35 appear but 25”. A 1904 beauty manual by Lady Jean, Beauty as a Fine Art, is generous enough to suggest that a woman of 40 “is just entering upon a long summer of useful and enjoyable existence”. Yet it goes on to suggest that “anything that threatens to rob her of the outward sign of youth” could be “combated and defied by all reasonable means”. The rise of advertising and consumer culture in the Victorian period saw the birth of thousands of brand-name beauty products. Many promised readers that they could retain the markers of youth: a full head of luxurious hair with no bald spots or grey, a full set of teeth, a trim waist, and a clear and smooth complexion. Importantly, an overall distinction was made between products that might “preserve” youth, such as soaps, treatments and baths, and those that attempt to artificially conceal aged skin, such as obvious coloured cosmetics. There was greater acceptance of certain cosmetics such as powder and rouge in the late 19th century. However, lingering views about natural beauty and the unpleasantness of older woman attempting to present themselves as youthful ensured that cosmetic advertisements denied the artifice involved in their products. Advertisements for soaps, dyes and related beautifying aids emphasised their capacity to preserve what beauty women already possessed. Advertisements for hair restorers claimed (surely erroneously) they could renew grey hair to its original colour without the use of dye. An ad for Rossetter’s hair restorer from around 1880 also claims to give the hair “the lustre and health of youth”. In small print at the bottom of an undated advertisement for Blackham’s hair restorer, it is acknowledged that their Electric Hair Stain is a dye – but purchasers are reassured that this “cannot be detected”. In a similar vein to today’s attitudes to cosmetic surgery, this claim signals how women had to ensure improvements to their appearance were seen as natural and, ironically, unnoticeable. Soap was the most acceptable of commercial products for preserving youthful skin. Actresses and famous figures often provided written testimonials or directly featured in Victorian advertising. Sarah Bernhardt, a French actress, regularly appeared in beauty advertisements, including for Pears soap and her own rice-based face powder. Ageing disgracefully In contrast to frequent advocacy for soaps and home remedies in women’s magazines, the services and treatments of the infamous cosmetician <a href="http://www.victorianweb.org/science/health/rappaportch2.html">Madame Rachel, Sarah Rachel Levison</a>, provided well-publicised examples of older women who were imagined as foolish and vain for seeking to improve their appearances. Products provided at her London salon included Circassian Beauty Wash, Magnetic Rock Dew Water of Sahara for removing wrinkles, and Youth and Beauty Cream. In 1863, Rachel published a 24-page pamphlet, entitled “Beautiful For Ever!” It told how she now had the sole right to sell the Magnetic Rock Dew Water of Sahara, which possesses the extraordinary property of increasing the vital energies – restores the colour of grey hair – gives the appearance of youth to persons far advanced in years, and removes wrinkle, defect, and blemishes, from whatever cause they may arise. The treatment for which Madame Rachel was most famous was known as “enamelling”. This involved the removal of facial hair, cleansing of the skin with alkaline washes, then filling of any wrinkles or uneven facial features with a thick white paste, which sometimes contained lead. This was followed by the application of powder and rouge. The gullibility of older women in chasing the fountain of youth through cosmetics was amply illustrated in Madame Rachel’s trial for fraud in 1868. Her victim, 50-year-old Mary Tucker Borradaile, was described as an object of pity in the trial. One of the prosecutors, Montagu Williams, found it hard to believe that Borradaile could have believed she could be made beautiful forever. He later recalled her to be a pathetic figure in her attempts to look attractive despite her years: She was a spare, thin, scraggy-looking woman, wholly devoid of figure; her hair was dyed a bright yellow; her face was ruddled with paint; and the darkness of her eyebrows was strongly suggestive of meretricious art. It was recorded that Borradaile had been beautiful in her youth and was particularly noted for her long, golden hair. But, in court, her hair was observed to be unnaturally dyed or artificial. Fellow prosecutor William Ballantine described Borradaile as: a skeleton encased apparently in plaster of Paris, painted pink and white, and surmounted with a juvenile wig. According to <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Beautiful_For_Ever.html?id=9XNvgasBwgUC">Helen Rappaport</a>, when Borradaile entered the courtroom to give evidence, there were audible gasps at her made-up face. ‘The absolute loss of empire’ Horror at the cosmetically enhanced older woman continued to be expressed into the early 20th century. In <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Art_of_Being_Beautiful.html?id=JncBPAAACAAJ">The Art of Being Beautiful</a> from 1902, the supposedly 50-year-old interviewee, the Baroness, advises: For a woman to try and knock more than ten years off her age is an arrogance for which she is punished by every glance of the passers-by. When she tries as a brunette to make herself into a blonde by the use of unlimited white chalk, she also makes herself grotesque – as unpleasing as a fly that had dropped into a honey-pot. When, as a blonde, she adorns herself with black eyebrows like croquet hoops, frankly she becomes alarming, if not detestable. The Baroness also remarks that dyed hair does not complement “wrinkled cheeks”, especially when the dye chosen is of an “infantine yellow tint”. Apparently, there were certain signs of youth that older women should not attempt to recapture. While the Baroness critiqued the older woman who attempted to turn back the hands of time through excessive use of cosmetics, she did advocate for beauty regimens to slow the process of ageing. She described the loss of beauty as “the absolute loss of empire”. “Active preparations” for ageing were encouraged – in the same manner as the fire brigade, army and medical profession might ready for fires, war and disease. So as women aged, they were confronted with the choice of either accepting the gradual fading of their looks, or being criticised for trying to visibly ameliorate signs of age, attempting the impossible task of trying to stave off wrinkles and grey hair. These double standards are exceedingly familiar. Older women in the public eye are caught in a bind between being seen as excessive users of cosmetic surgery who have made themselves look unnatural, or of having aged or “let themselves go” to the point of no longer being seen as desirable and bankable. Actresses in their 50s, such as Meg Ryan and Daryl Hannah, regularly appear in photo galleries taking delight in “botched” plastic surgery or marvelling at “trout pouts”. Conversely, magazines and gossip sites pounced on unflattering photographs of Kirstie Ally, now 66, when she gained a significant amount of weight in 2008, and proclaimed her “washed up”. While a small number of women in the public eye, like Brigitte Macron, are seen to deftly negotiate these expectations of beauty and ageing, most are set up to fail. Written by Michelle Smith. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-double-standards-and-derision-tracing-our-attitudes-to-older-women-and-beauty-79575">The Conversation</a>.

Beauty & Style

The reason why eye contact is so powerful

The adage “eyes are the windows to the soul” is not a mere cliché. As one of the most prominent forms of nonverbal communication, eye contact can have significant influence on the way we socialise and process information. Extra brain power Have you ever met the gaze of a dog or a monkey? You may get the impression that they are a smart, conscious being that is capable of judging you. This may not be far off – direct gaze indicates “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167216669124">sophisticated human-like minds</a>” which are capable of social interaction, making us more aware of the other’s agency. When we lock gazes with someone, our brain immediately engages in a series of activities to take in the fact that we are dealing with the mind of the person who is looking at us. These processes turn out to draw on the same mental resources we use for complex tasks, making it more difficult to perform cognitive functions – such as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-016-1097-3">memorising facts</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25071645">imagining visuals</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027709002984#fig1">focusing on relevant information</a> – at the same time. A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27750156">2016 Japanese study</a> found that people performed worse in a verbal word test when they were instructed to look into another person’s eyes on a screen. This shows how maintaining eye contact can drain our mental bandwidth. Bonding and social cues Eye contact also has significant impacts on how we perceive each other. We assume people who make eye contact with us to be more <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/11/28/the-psychology-of-eye-contact-digested/">sociable</a>, <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2014/07/22/the-psychology-of-first-impressions-digested/">intelligent</a>, trustworthy, and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886996001481">conscientious</a>. We also tend to believe these people to have more self-control and be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221309.2018.1469465">more similar to us</a> in terms of personality and appearance. However, locking eyes should also be done in moderation. A British <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/07/07/psychologists-have-identified-the-length-of-eye-contact-that-people-find-most-comfortable/">study</a> discovered that people on average are most comfortable with eye contact that lasts for three seconds. Because of this, it’s no wonder that many people think of eye contact as a form of intimacy. As windows to our souls, the eyes allow us to get a glimpse into other people’s minds – but it also gives away what’s inside of ours.

Mind

Who to contact when something goes wrong on holidays

When holiday plans go astray, it’s important you know who to contact. The problem is this sometimes isn’t clear, especially in the event of an emergency. We’re going to take a run through a series of holiday problems, and who to contact in the event that you have to face them. By knowing your best port of call you’re in the best position to ensure it’s a minor blip on your holiday radar, rather than a big issue. 1. If it’s a health concern Well, a lot depends on the severity of the concern, but if you require medical assistance you must contact your travel insurance provider as you may have to foot the bill up front. If you haven’t arranged travel insurance, you may have to contact your financial institution or a family member to make arrangements to cover the medical fees. 2. If it’s a monetary concern If you’re short (or running out) of funds overseas it’s generally recommended that you contact a friend or family member to make arrangements for completing your travel plans. That being said, if the issue is severe or due to something out of your hands like theft, it’s recommended that you contact the Australian Government’s emergency consular service. You can all them from overseas on this +61 2 6261 3305. 3. If it’s a concern regarding a booking or refunds Generally with issues of this nature you’re best taking it up with the company that issued the goods or services in contention, they can sometimes be uncooperative. If the issue escalates, you may have to contact the local law enforcement agencies. 4. If it’s a safety concern If you’re concerned for your safety when abroad, it’s recommended you contact the Australian Government’s emergency consular service mentioned above. It’s also a good idea to regularly check the government’s <a href="http://smartraveller.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Smart Traveller</a> resource, for regular updates regarding the safety of the place you’re visiting (or planning to visit next). Have you ever been in a spot of bother while travelling overseas? What measures (if any) did you take to cope and how’d you get out of it? Share your story in the comments. Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Tailor your cover to your needs and save money by not paying for things you don’t need. <a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=content&utm_content=link1&utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a> For more information about Over60 Travel Insurance, call 1800 622 966. Related links: <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/passengers-share-their-worst-ever-travel-experiences/">Passengers share their worst ever travel experiences</a> <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/5-fake-tourist-attractions-that-have-everyone-fooled/">5 fake tourist attractions that have everyone fooled</a> <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/23-items-you-must-have-in-your-carry-on-luggage/">23 items you must have in your carry-on luggage</a>

Travel Insurance

I contacted my dead husband through a medium

Anne Roddick, 76, was sceptical at first, but when she sought out her first ever medium, she was surprised to find herself speaking to her husband, who had passed away a year earlier. Bill, my husband of 50 years passed on 20th June, 2011, after years of ill health. I, of course, felt the loneliness terrible. About 10 months after his death I started getting a message, saying “I want to talk”, coming out of sleep. This lasted every morning for three weeks until I got angry and decided to put an end to this nonsense and seek my first ever medium and my first contact with that side of life. I found what I was looking for in a very nice older lady and had my first ever reading. I went into it convinced I was wasting my time and money, and sure nothing would happen. But in the medium’s room, my husband was waiting with my dad, who had passed many years ago. They both started to talk, taking in turns like musical chairs. I borrowed a piece of paper and pen from the medium and started to quickly jot down all I could. Both men talked about my life in the UK, Africa, and Germany, which was years before we had immigrated to Australia. I was starting to believe. How could an Australian medium who had never been to UK ever know about my life? As I said I had no contact with that side of life before, and was not even sure if I believed in that sort of thing! So I was very curious and asked for a second sitting. This was the start of weekly sittings, and as I had a lot of experience with video cameras and making DVDs so I started filming our readings and putting them on DVDs to enable me to transcribe word for word our conversations. On the 5th April 2016 we celebrated our fourth anniversary – four years of talking and healing each other. We now share what we do in our lives, we laugh and tease each other and our readings are as important to him as they are to me. Although a one hour reading now takes me three to four days each week to transcribe (I have well over 3,000 pages of his talking), this has been the most wonderful and happy experience for me. My husband has also brought all my family through, so it’s like a talking family tree and wonderful to know they are all well and working very hard at their duties. The icing on the cake was when he brought through my twin sister, who passed when we were 18 months old in Scotland. She told me, “Apart from Bill when you return home I will be waiting for you and we will be together again.” I know there are many people who have a fear of the afterlife, and so many spend their years in grief. I hope the story of Bill and my healing, our grief will give help and hope to others. I am 76 years old now and hope my love affair with my husband continues for always. Have you made contact with the other side before? Share your experience in the comments below. If you have a story to share please get in touch at <a href="mailto:melody@oversixty.com.au">melody@oversixty.com.au</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2016/05/gary-chapmans-five-love-languages/">5 ways giving love is the key to relationship success</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2016/04/the-reason-we-close-our-eyes-when-we-kiss/">The reason we close our eyes when we kiss</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2016/04/surprising-reason-you-get-sick-at-same-as-your-partner/">Surprising reason you get sick at same as your partner</a>

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When eye contact indicates something much darker

Double standards and derision – tracing our attitudes to older women and beauty

The reason why eye contact is so powerful

Who to contact when something goes wrong on holidays

I contacted my dead husband through a medium

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When eye contact indicates something much darker

Double standards and derision – tracing our attitudes to older women and beauty

The reason why eye contact is so powerful

Who to contact when something goes wrong on holidays

I contacted my dead husband through a medium

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